Throwing Error Out

HARRIETTE WARREN

HOW often the adult has profited by the voicing of a simple truth by a little child! Our great Master, Christ Jesus, said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, this same thought is given us (pp. 323, 324): "Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear,—this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony."

An experience once came to the writer's attention which brings out the truth of these two statements. A little child, a Christian Scientist, was suffering from a physical difficulty. After a Christian Science practitioner had talked to him of God and the good things of God, the question was asked of the child, "What are you going to do about it?" With radiant joy and spontaneity the child replied, "Oh, I am going to throw error out, and just believe in God."

In order to "throw error out," or to get rid of a false belief of either sickness or sin, it is often necessary to dig deep down in consciousness and to cast out every root of the evil belief, in order that joy and peace, which result from trust in God, may be manifested. It is essential, if we would make a complete demonstration, that each wrong thought be uprooted and cast aside. Through active, obedient, right spiritual thinking, each and every suggestion of evil may be vigorously opposed by the truth as taught in Christian Science; and through this process it is possible for thoughts of humility, childlike simplicity, receptivity, and joy to replace wrong thoughts, or suggestions of evil, so that the purifying, healing Christ shall be ushered in.

How true it is that error, if left to itself, will accumulate and gather momentum! Many Christian Science students have experienced times when suggestions of fear, discouragement, ingratitude, self-will, resentment, and other wrong thoughts have knocked at their mental doors. If they have been awake to these evil suggestions, and have then and there refused them admittance because they did not come from God, vigorously rejecting them by knowing their unreality, they have gone on their way rejoicing, glorifying God. If, however, personal sense has benumbed for the time being their alertness to duty, these erroneous suggestions will have accumulated until, perhaps, they have been objectified as a sick body, a sick business, or some other discordant condition. Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health (p. 390): 'Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him.' Suffer no claim of sin or of sickness to grow upon the thought. Dismiss it with an abiding conviction that it is illegitimate, because you know that God is no more the author of sickness than He is of sin."

A definition of the word "agree" is "come to terms." To come to terms with any suggestion of evil is to settle with the adversary in full, with the currency of true spiritual thoughts. How much suffering and unhappiness could be avoided if we would always do this sort of settling, and destroy with the truth every wrong suggestion as it is presented by the adversary! The striving to be obedient to the command, "Agree with thine adversary quickly," in accordance with the teaching of Christian Science, is doing much to eliminate the sum total of sin and disease in the world to-day; and through the individual overcoming of wrong thinking will God's kingdom of harmony be made manifest upon earth. If we but go to our Father-Mother God in childlike humility and simplicity, and with joy and gladness give up the erroneous suggestions of evil, how sure will be the fruit of demonstration, the peace "which passeth all understanding."

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